PMD: Pursuit of Fate
by Kecleon352
Summary: A well known explorer disappears, and the Heroes of Time, Team Impossible, is called in to investigate. However, when a new team joins the Wigglytuff Guild, it sets off a series of events that reveals an ultimate evil that seeks to destroy everything they've strived to protect. (SYOC) (Cover image by Pokkiu)
1. A Thrilling Tale

" _The two Pokemon faced against the mighty Dialga. He was out of control, and by golly, he was bad. He met their challenge with a powerful Roar of Time, which they both barely dodged. The leader was the first to rise and rush towards the legendary Pokemon, attacking him with his best Aqua Tail. However, even though he was already one of the strongest Pokemon around, he barely left a dent in the mighty Dialga's hide._

" _Dialga tried to smack him with an Iron Tail, and he would've taken him out, too, if the leader's partner hadn't stepped in and distracted Dialga with an Energy Ball. As he turned to see who interrupted him, the leader reached into his sack and pulled out a Sleep Seed. He lobbed the seed into the mighty Pokemon's mouth, by gosh, and he swallowed. Almost immediately, Dialga's eyes began to droop and he was teetering on the edge of Dreamland. The leader's partner decided to help the legendary Pokemon, by whacking him with his best Slam._

" _He collapsed, allowing the two Pokemon to attack at their leisure. But, by golly, it was no easy task. While the leader bit Dialga multiple times with Ice Fang, his partner kept up with a Bullet Seed. By the time Dialga awoke, he was already weakened severely by his opponent's barrage of attacks. However, that certainly didn't mean that he was out for the count. In his fury, he blasted at the both of them with his Flash Cannon, trying to at least take one of them out. However, the leader was smart, and knew right when Dialga would wake, giving the two Pokemon plenty of room to dodge._

" _Dialga's annoyance quickly turned to rage, and gosh! If he wasn't mean beforehand, he sure was now! He charged after the leader's partner, who was trying to snipe at him from a distance with his Bullet Seed, but the leader decided to act on this, blasting Dialga with a Hydro Pump. As Dialga turned to face the leader, his partner rushed up and tried to hit him with an Energy Ball at close range. However, Dialga saw it coming, and faster than either of them could react, Dialga attacked the leader's partner with a head-on Roar of Time. The poor Pokemon was blasted into the wall and was almost certainly put out of commission._

" _By gosh, was the leader furious. He dove in and charged up an Ice Fang. Dialga prepared to meet him, but then the leader jumped, which surprised the legendary. It turned out, he was charging his Aqua Tail right at the same time as he was charging his Ice Fang. Oh gosh, he was so awesome when he did that!"_

"Mister Bibarel, were you actually there?" a Smoochum interrupted.

"Um, well, no, but it was really amazing when I heard it described to me!" The brown beaver Pokemon chuckled to himself as he reminisced. "Shall I continue the story?"

"Yeah!" the children cheered.

Bibarel smiled. "Alright, then. Now, where was I?"

A Riolu raised his hand. "Um, the leader was about to use Aqua Tail?"

"Oh, yes, that's it!" Bibarel nodded at the Riolu, making him blush slightly. "Now then…"

" _The leader came down on Dialga with his Aqua Tail and smacked him hard on his mighty head. Dialga was dazed, and couldn't react in time when the leader came in and bit him on the leg with an Ice Fang. Dialga, expressing his awesome status as one of the most powerful Pokemon ever, kicked the Pokemon off of his leg and prepared to finish him with one final blast as he flew off. But then, he was hit in his face by an Energy Ball, which sent the Flash Cannon Dialga was charging off course, which probably damaged Temporal Tower even more than it was already. It turned out, the two Pokemon had packed a Reviver Seed in their bag, which had revived the partner and allowed him to retaliate._

" _Obviously, Dialga was getting desperate. 'By golly, how could I, the mighty Dialga, be defeated by a couple of pipsqueaks?' Dialga blasted at the two Pokemon with multiple Roars of Time and Flash Cannons, but the leader, as well as his newly refreshed partner, dodged each of the attacks, sometimes by just a hair. Finally, the two Pokemon regrouped, and prepared to launch their final attack. They ran up side by side towards Dialga and leaped towards him. Dialga launched a Roar of Time at them, but the leader's partner grabbed the leader's arm and launched him towards Dialga, just over the attack while he barely managed to go below. The leader charged up one final Ice Fang and-"_

"And what?" Riolu jumped in excitement. "What happened?!"

"We won."

The Pokemon, including Bibarel turned to see who just spoke, only to find it was none other than Treecky, a Treecko who was one half of the legendary Team Impossible.

"Aw, Treecky, did you have to ruin my dramatic tension. By gosh, I worked hard to try to do that." Bibarel complained.

"Sorry, but when I was hearing our story, I couldn't help but intervene. You understand, right."

"Oh, well, of course." Bibarel still looked upset, but he pretty much felt over it.

Meanwhile, the little Pokemon gathered around Treecky in awe, muttering amongst themselves, "Wow!" and "So cool!" and "It's really him!"

"Um, mister Treecky, sir?" Riolu asked quietly, "Wasn't it true that your leader disappeared soon after you beat Dialga?"

Treecky looked at him, with an expression that was both sad and curious. "So, you've heard this story before?"

Riolu suddenly seemed to notice something interesting along the coastline of the beach that they were on. "Um, yes, it's one of my favorites."

Treecky smiled. "Yeah, he did. After Dialga was defeated, that other timeline where he came from disappeared, and he did, too. For a while, anyway. But, as you know, he came back. He wanted to be here, with all of us, and Dialga brought him back."

"Wow! That's so amazing! I wanna be in an exploration team, too!" Riolu exclaimed.

Treecky chuckled and rubbed the top of Riolu's head. "You keep training and working hard, and you just might."

Riolu was positively glowing with excitement, and backed away. "So, what are you doing here, anyway, Treecky?" Bibarel asked, pushing to the front.

Treecky's expression suddenly hardened. "That's right. I forgot. The guild is calling for all exploration teams, as well as all guild members. I came here to fetch you."

"Oh, really?" Bibarel replied, shocked, "Well then, by golly, there's not a moment to waste!" He turned to the children. "I'm sorry, but story-time is over for today, so just run along home, okay?"

All of the children looked sad that they wouldn't hear the rest of the story, but they all nodded and began to disperse off to their homes. Then, the two Pokemon ran off to the guild, leaving Riolu standing there by himself. "Wow, I just met _the_ Treecky of Team Impossible! I have to go tell Mom!" And he ran down the coastline of the beach and up the steps to the crossroads, and from there turning east to run back to his home in the nearby forest.

* * *

It was turning dark when Riolu began to see the familiar area of the forest where he grew up. Luckily, since he knew the area so well, he figured he could guide his way through without even needing to tap into his aura. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake, as he tripped over a large object in the middle of his path and he crashed into the ground. "Ow! What the…?" He got up and dusted himself off. He then turned around to see what he tripped on.

The object on the ground turned out to be a Pokemon, a Shinx to be exact. Worried, Riolu ran over to its side and checked to see if it was okay. It seemed to be fine, and it was breathing normally. He figured that this Pokemon just passed out here. Breathing a sigh of relief, he decided to bring the Shinx home so it can have some actual shelter until it was well enough to travel. He lifted it onto his shoulders, thankful for the time he spent training his body to lift fairly heavy objects, and began to trudge his way home. "Don't worry," he murmured to the unconscious Pokemon. "I'll make sure you get better."

* * *

And, that happened. I hope everyone's happy with this new project I've started on this wonderful day of my birth! This is one half of two PMD stories which I've started, which both follow one overall plot. This one follows a more traditional route with the plot, albiet, it's set several years after the original story of Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky. The other story is PMD: Escape from Fate, which features, amongst other Pokemon, a Kecleon as the leader of the team, so check that out when you get the chance. I may not update in a while, but I'll try to when I get the chance. I'll also try to make my chapters longer, since I've gotten complaints that my chapters are too short. Anyway, thanks for reading, and leave a review to tell me what you liked about it, and what you think I could improve. And, as always, stay tuned to find out what happens next!

*Note: I wrote this last bit on my birthday, but I wasn't able to upload it then. So, that's why I'm talking about today being my birthday, even though it was a few days ago.


	2. Two Worlds Collide

" _Devon…" a faint voice called out. The human slowly opened his eyes, and appeared to be standing in the midst of an open grassy field that stretched for miles around. He looked up and saw the sky pulsating in various colors, from red to yellow to green to blue and all the colors in between._

" _Devon," the voice cried out again, "you must listen to me. You don't have much time. The fate of the world rests upon your shoulders."_

" _Wh-What? What are you talking about?!" Devon called out._

 _Devon watched as a huge shadow spread across the field. Devon looked up and saw the sky had turned black, and as he watched, a glowing pair of red eyes peered down at him from the heavens. Suddenly, he began to sink into the earth, and, try as he might, he couldn't break free from his earthen trap. The darkness began spilling from the sky and began to converge on him from every angle. Devon screamed and struggled even harder to escape, and as the darkness was upon him, the voice spoke, in a voice no louder than a whisper, "You must prevail…"_

* * *

"Hey! Are you okay? Wake up!" a voice yelled in his ear, a different one from before.

Devon slowly opened his eyes. The world appeared bleary, as it tends to when someone sleeps for a long time. After a few minutes of blinking and rubbing his eyes, Devon looked around and saw he was in a house of some kind. Due to the pricking in his side, he figured he was lying down on some sort of straw mattress of some kind.

"Hey, what's up?" the voice said again to his left, "That seemed like some dream, the way you were tossing and turning like that."

Due to his position on the bed, Devon had to lift himself up to see who was talking. When he finally finished flipping over, he saw a Riolu hovering over him, watching him curiously.

"Um, are you feeling okay? You look kind of sick." The Riolu asked him.

In one motion, Devon leaped to his feet, a surprised scream coming out of his mouth.

The Riolu backed up in surprise of his own. "Whoa, hey! Easy, buddy. I'm sorry if I startled you."

Devon could only make panicked gasps as he backed away from the Riolu. _This isn't real,_ he thought to himself, _This can't be real. This has to be a dream._

Dream. Upon thinking of the word, Devon suddenly remembered the strange dream that he had. He thought about what the strange voice had said to him. _"You don't have much time. The fate of the world rests upon your shoulders."_ What did it mean by "fate of the world?"

"Hey, what's up? You're acting weird." The Riolu said, bringing Devon back to the situation at hand. "Can you even talk, or are you mute?"

 _Talk? Oh, right!_ Devon realized. Anxiously, he started to speak. "T-T-Talk?"

As soon as he said that, the Riolu's mood brightened. "So you can speak!"

"T-Talk," Devon continued, "Y-You. T-T-Talk."

The Riolu was starting to get really confused. "Huh? 'You talk?' What's that supposed to mean?"

After these first few words, Devon began to be a little more confident in his speech. "Y-You're a R-Riolu. Riolu a-aren't supposed to t-talk."

The Riolu was thoroughly taken aback. "What?! But, all Pokémon talk. You should know that, since you're a Shinx and all."

"What?!" Devon shouted, almost outraged now. "I'm not a Shinx. I'm a human."

The Riolu just paused. "Wait. Sorry, did you just say that you used to be human? As in, for real?"

"'Used to be?' What's that supposed to mean?" Devon demanded from the Riolu. Suddenly, it came to Devon's realization that he wasn't standing up the way he was supposed to. Instead of standing on his two feet, he found that he was supporting himself on his hands as well. And when he looked at his hands, he found that his "hands" were now actually blue, furry paws with a yellow ring around the wrists. The blue fur continued up his arms (front legs?) and converged with the blue fur around his chest. Around his waist, the fur changed color from blue to black, looking almost like a pair of pants. The black fur continued all the way down his hind legs to his paws, but as he noticed this, a tail swung into view, which was covered in black fur all the way up to the end, where it fluffed and fanned out so it looked like a four-pointed star.

"Nononononono…" Devon muttered to himself, utterly wishing that what he thinks has happened isn't the case.

The Riolu, which had left while Devon was looking at himself, came back with a wooden bucket that had water inside. He laid it down in front of Devon and, knowing what the Riolu was implying, he looked into the bucket to see, not his face, but the face of a Shinx. The blue fur, the tufts of fur spouting from the top of his head and each cheek, the large ears with the yellow cross-like patterns on the inner part, and even the yellow eyes. He turned his head and the Shinx turned his. He stuck out his tongue and his counterpart did likewise. He violently shook his head and the Shinx did as well.

Devon backed away from the bucket and sat down on his haunches. "No, I'm a human. I-I can't be a Shinx. I know I'm not. I know it."

The Riolu sat cross-legged in front of the Shinx. "What's your name?" it asked simply.

Devon looked up at the Riolu. "M-My name? It's Devon."

The Riolu across from him sighed. "I knew it. You have a weird name, too." The Riolu shuffled closer. "I know this may sound odd, but I believe you. I think you're a human who was turned into a Pokémon."

Devon, naturally, was shocked. "Really? Are you telling me there are others?"

The Riolu nodded. "At the very least, one. He's the leader of what we call an 'exploration team,' and a pretty famous one at that. He literally saved the world from becoming paralyzed."

"Wait, paralyzed?" Devon asked.

"Um, I'll talk about that later. But, if you're here, then that means something big is definitely gonna happen soon." He seemed lost in thought for a few minutes, before nodding his head slightly in confirmation with himself. "Devon, I have a proposition for you. I want to help you find out why you're here, but I'm in no position to do that right now. What I'm asking is, do you want to form an exploration team with me?"

"Um, no." Devon stated. After seeing the downtrodden expression on the Riolu's face, he clarified, "I mean, I don't want to get into something without first knowing what I'm getting into. From the sound of it, I think I should be flattered that you're asking this of me, but first I'd like to know a couple of things, like what an exploration team is exactly, and who this other person is. Stuff like that."

The Riolu gasped slightly in shock. "Oh! Um, right. You'd wanna know a little about this world before making a rash decision. I hear you. Okay then, what do wanna ask first?"

* * *

After several hours of talk back and forth with each other, Devon finally explained to the Riolu that his curiosity has been mostly sated. "So, basically, this other human defeated Dialga and saved the world from paralyzing, and that's what made him famous?"

"Yep!" Riolu confirmed, "And then Team Impossible went on to do lots of other cool stuff. Like battling Palkia and Darkrai, finding the legendary instruments, and even taking care of a baby Manaphy." Riolu stifled a giggle. "Sorry, but that one was always a bit ridiculous."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Devon looked down on his new body again. _I hope I can get used to my new body like he did._ Suddenly, Devon perked up. "Oh, right, I forgot to ask. What is your name? You asked me mine, but I never got yours."

"Oh, um," Riolu scratched his head with his paw, looking a little flustered. "Well, in truth, my name is Riolu. But…"

"You want a different name?" Devon proposed.

"Well, yeah. Now don't get me wrong. I like the name Riolu. But, it would be nice to have some kind of nickname or something. I just want a name that people will look back and remember. Something distinctive, not just a generic name like 'Riolu.' I mean, think about it. People would go around saying, 'Hey, you remember Riolu?' 'No, not that Riolu, the _other_ Riolu.' 'Wait, which Riolu are we talking about again?'"

The two Pokémon laughed at this point Riolu had. "Yeah, I can see how that can be confusing," Devon said finally, "Okay, how about I think of a nickname for you?"

Riolu looked surprised. "Really? B-But, we just met. I don't want you to feel obliged to do something like that."

Devon shrugged. "Eh, it's the least I can do. After all, you spent the last couple of hours explaining the history of your entire civilization. So, how hard can it be to think of a nickname for you?"

Riolu sighed. "Well, I guess you can give it a shot, then."

Devon smiled. "Okay, then. Let me think." Devon's brows furrowed, and his eyes displayed his intense concentration. Finally, he looked up at Riolu. "How about Aura?"

Riolu scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Devon, pretty much one out of every ten Riolu are named something silly/stupid like that. Why don't you try again?"

"Okay, then, um, how about Rolly?" Devon suggested

Riolu's eyes almost widened out of their sockets. "Hey, that makes me sound fat. Definitely not!"

Devon cringed. "Uh, whoops. Sorry. Didn't mean to offend you like that."

As Devon went back to thinking about it, Riolu sighed again. "You know what? Just forget it. 'Riolu' is just fine, and it doesn't make me sound like I have a weight problem."

Just then, Devon's mind sparked an idea, which literally caused him to spark for a second or two. "I got it! What about Lucas?"

"Huh? 'Lucas?'" Riolu asked.

"Yeah. I don't remember much from when I was human, but I could swear that I remember the name Lucas belonged to someone really famous. Plus, it works so well with your species name. Even if you evolve into a Lucario, it can still be applicable."

Riolu thought about it for a minute. "Lucas." He let the name roll on his tongue, tasting it as one would with a good Berry wine. A smile slowly grew on the Riolu's face. "Lucas. Yeah, that's perfect! I love it! It sounds really epic, in a way."

"Well, then," Devon said, obviously pleased, "mind if I call you Lucas from now on?"

Lucas smiled. "Yeah. In fact, I want everyone to call me that." The Riolu rushed out the door and screamed, **"Look out world! There's a new Pokémon on the explorer scene, and his name is Lucas!"**

Devon chuckled as he walked up to him. "I'll do it."

Lucas turned to Devon. "Huh? What?"

"Well, if you're gonna be an explorer, you gotta have another Pokémon with you, right? I'll do it. Let's be an exploration team together."

Lucas gasped at him, tears forming in his eyes. "Really? You mean it?" He rushed at the Shinx and locked him into a hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Anytime, but it's getting hard for me to breathe now." Lucas suddenly realized that he was holding on to Devon way too tight, and he let go. Devon took in a couple of deep breaths, before telling Lucas, "I'm glad you're excited about this, I am too, really, but please don't kill me before we even start."

Lucas sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head with his paw. "Hehehe, sorry. I guess I got a bit excited." Lucas looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon. "Wow, it's really gotten late. What say we go to Treasure Town tomorrow to register? I feel a bit bushed now."

Devon didn't realize it until then, but he felt a bit tired as well. He figured that the guild could wait one more day, and he agreed with Lucas. They then went back into the house to get some shut-eye, eagerly expecting all of their new adventures come the following day.

* * *

And that does it for this chapter! I've noticed that a lot of people weren't as excited about Pursuit as they were for Escape, and I suppose this is fine, considering that Escape has some of the most unique characters out there. But, still, I really would like to see more love for Pursuit as well, considering it's supposed to be following similar events in both. I know I'm using common Pokemon, but there's a good reason for these two, so just trust me.

However, in case you do have something to say to me about either of my stories, then please leave your thoughts in a review. I make sure to try to read all of them, and I like hearing what people have to say about my story! You don't have to do it, but it would be awfully nice of you.

Oh, and speaking of that, I actually have a proposition for everyone. I'm actually considering taking some OCs that you guys think up, in a standard SYOC style. The reason that I'm saying this is because, as this takes place a few years after the events of PMD:EoS, there are obviously some things that had changed during that time span. (As you guys probably saw in the first chapter, what with Bibarel and everything.) And since I'm too lazy to think about every new Pokémon that would be introduced, I figured I'd give everyone a chance to try to wow me with their ideas. Now, I'll have a full list of what you can try for, as well as the rules and form, on my profile soon, but let me just say that brand new exploration teams are a must here.

Anyway, that's all I have to say right now. So, as always, make sure you stay tuned for the next chapter, and even if I don't update in a while, be assured that I always think about all of my stories all the time.


	3. A Sign Of Darkness

_The Pokémon took in gasping breaths as he ran through the dark, compressing tunnel. He figured a low tiered item retrieval mission in a fairly easy mystery dungeon would be a piece of cake, so he didn't bother with packing something absolutely essential as an Escape Orb._

 _Suddenly, he slammed into another wall. He felt in front of him and spread out his hands left and right. He couldn't feel anything on either side, and he gritted his teeth at his realization._ Darn it, _he thought to himself,_ Another intersection. I can't get turned around at a time like this! _He screamed at the top of his lungs, or he tried to, but no sound came out of his mouth. Instead, he slammed his fist into the wall, causing a loud, resonating smack to echo through the tunnel._

 _The Pokémon flinched at the loud sound._ Crud! Why did I do that? _He broke into a flat-out run towards the right, not even caring how much noise he was making, just as long as he made it to the exit._

 _Suddenly, he burst into a room and gasped in joy. There it was, the stairs leading to the next floor of this mystery dungeon, and since this was the final floor, all he had to do was make it to the exit and he'd escape, free from the dungeon and the danger he was currently in._

 _However, his hopes were cut short as an energy blast, of what type he couldn't tell, shot him in the back, essentially knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling on the ground. He hacked and gagged, trying to get his breath back, while slowly trying to crawl to the exit._

 _Suddenly, he was overshadowed by a figure in front of him. He looked up, but with the darkness of the surrounding atmosphere and the tears blurring his vision, he couldn't make out what he was._

 _The figure chuckled. "So, you're the legendary Exploud from the Wigglytuff Guild, eh? The one who could single-handedly take on pretty much any mission and come out successful?"_

 _Exploud grit his teeth in frustration, and the figure chuckled once more. "What's the matter? Meowth got your tongue? Or, rather, is my Silencer Orb causing you a bit of trouble?"_

 _Exploud took a wild swing at the figure in front of him, but it smoothly dodged the attack and wrapped...some type of appendage around his arm. "Tsk, tsk. You should act a little more civilized than that," he said, talking down to him like a schoolchild. "Now, I'm going to have to teach you some manners."_

 _The mysterious Pokémon flung Exploud into a nearby wall, causing the nearby rock to explode outward at the sudden great force. Exploud tried to recover himself, but the mysterious figure was upon him again, and suddenly a bright light shone through the cavern. Exploud then realized what he was facing, and tried to shield his eyes, but the figure grabbed both of his arms and forced the explorer to look at him._

 _He attempted to close his eyes, but it was too late. He gazed into the light, completely mesmerized. His eyes soon lost their light as his mind was soon lost, and he slumped in the Pokemon's grip. As soon as he saw his victory, he let go of the fallen Normal-type, and soon the light faded, leaving the room possibly even darker than when he started._

 _"Well, that was a good chase, my friend," he said, rubbing the back of his appendage across Exploud's face, "But, you're mine now. Mine, forever."_

 _A wicked laughter erupted from the villain's throat, soon carrying the sound throughout the entire tunnel system, becoming a maddening chorus of crazed voices screaming their apathy which sent the local Pokémon scurrying for cover, afraid of this dark force that's entered their lives._

* * *

Kevin the Totodile woke up in a cold sweat, his terrible nightmare still fresh in his mind. It took him a moment to realize that he was no longer in a dark cave, but rather in the 'mouth' of Sharpedo's Bluff, where he and his best friend, Treecky, lives.

Suddenly, just like that, he saw Treecky walking down the stairs with a smile on his face. The same smile which said he saw something exciting. "Oh, hey there, Kevin. Glad to see you're awake!" He settled down on his straw bed before continuing, "Someone just had a batte right above our heads, and I just watched the whole thing! You see, first there was was this Natu, who had- Hey, are you okay?" He cut himself off when he saw the worried look on Kevin's face.

The Totodile looked up at him, and said simply, "I had a bad dream."

Treecky's expression turned serious then, his eyes gaining a cold sense of concentration after having things like this being said to him time and again. "Tell me about it."

Kevin smiled lightly. If he had said this to anyone else, they would've just dismissed it as nothing but a dream. But not Treecky. No. Not after what they've been through together.

Kevin then began to explain the dream he had. As can happen with dreams, he already forgot some of the details, but the main message was clear and thorough.

As soon as he finished, Treecky looked at him with shock. "So, you're saying that Exploit has been kidnapped?! But, he's one of the strongest members of the guild, and that was even before he evolved from Loudred!"

Kevin gave a defeated sigh. "I don't think it would've mattered. He was silenced, so he couldn't use any of his sound attacks. And, then there was that light..." His voice drifted off as he became consumed by his own thoughts.

"Possibly some type of Psychic move? Maybe like Hypnosis?" Treecky proposed.

"Maybe..." Already this morning, he had scrutinized his dream three or four times, looking for any possible details he might have forgotten. He looked up to his partner. "We have to tell Guildmaster Wigglytuff right away."

Treecky nodded his agreement. "Alright. We should hurry." Both of the Pokémon jumped out of their beds and charged off up the stairs, heading straight towards the Guild.

* * *

Meanwhile, Devon and Lucas stepped onto the crossroads heading into Treasure Town, and the Shinx stood and gawked at his surroundings. Around him were several small buildings and colorful tents lined up alongside the roads, with Pokémon lined up in front of these establishments, laughing and smiling with content.

"Wow, what is this place?" Devon asked Lucas, his eyes filled with wonder.

Lucas chuckled. "This is the Spinda's Plaza! A while ago, this place was just a small-time café. But, as it grew in popularity, the place just kinda, well, grew up around it. It's really awesome! There are all kinds of specialty shops and services that are available here, and the number only grows once you get into town."

"Cool!" Devon looked around. "So, which one of these places is the guild?"

Lucas' face momentarily showed confusion, but he then understood and burst into a little fit of laughter. "It's none of them," he said simply.

"Huh?" Devon looked confused.

Lucas pointed up the road to their right, which soon turned into stairs going into a steep incline up the hill until it leveled off to somewhere he couldn't quite see. "That," Lucas exclaimed, "is where the guild is. Just up that hill, and we'll be there."

Devon turned to Lucas. "And then we'll be able to find out why I'm here, right?"

Lucas nodded. "We'll certainly try our best! Come on! Let's- Oof!" Lucas suddenly for bowled over when a Pokémon slammed into him. Devon tried to go over to help, but he found himself colliding with another Pokémon, sending the both of them sprawling on the ground.

Devon groaned and looked up at the Pokémon lying next to him. It was a lantern-like Pokémon with two prongs from either side of him that served as its arms, and a purple flame emanating from within his semitransparent head. Suddenly, the Pokémon managed to come back to himself and it backed off quickly, floating a few feet off the ground.

"Crash, you idiot! We have to get moving! We don't have the time for this!" The Lanturn rambled off to his partner, a Pokémon who had beige scales on his main body, red scales funning down his belly, and yellow scales making up a hood-like impression on his large head and very baggy pants around his waist, which also connected to his tail.

The Scraggy got up, pulling his pants up. "Hey, you think I wanted to run into this guy? Besides, you did it yourself, Burn!"

Lucas got up, rubbing his head, and said, "Hey, are you guys okay?"

Burn glared at the Riolu, causing him to back off slightly. He then turned to Crash. "Let's go, before you do anything else to bring attention to us."

Crash nodded, and the two of them ran off, not even turning back.

"Wow," Devon said, finally, picking himself up, "those guys were jerks."

Lucas shrugged. "Well, not everyone's a saint. Plus, from bad types like them, it doesn't really surprise me all that much."

Devon turned to Lucas. "Wait, what do you mean by 'bad types?'"

"You know, types like Poison or Ghost, and especially Dark. There have been several Pokémon just in recent history that have done some really bad things that were amongst those bad types, like Dusknoir or Skuntank or Darkrai. One of them even..." Lucas stopped, his paws visibly shaking. Devon wondered if he should ask him what was wrong, when Lucas suddenly exclaimed, "Anyways, he have to get to the guild. Let's go!" And he ran off towards the stairs leading up the hill.

Devon looked after him as he ran off. _I think...I shouldn't try to mention it. Not yet. But...I know it's troubling him. I just wish I could help him._ Devon shook his head roughly and ran off to go join his friend at the top of the hill, trapped between his feelings of sympathy and excitement, with his curiosity ruling his thoughts overall.

* * *

Whew! I'm finally done with these! I'm sorry for the long delay with this, and really, it's this story's fault. You see, I had originally meant for the first part of this story, the dream sequence, to be set from the point of view from Kevin the Totodile in an ethereal state as he watched the whole thing with Exploit and his mysterious attacker, but it never felt right in my opinion, so I had to take some time to think it over in order to make it right, and I think I did it.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll attempt to update these stories soon, but I can't make any promises, so, for now, stay tuned to find out what happens next!


	4. Joining The Guild

"Whoa! It's so **BIG**!" Devon exclaimed as he looked up at the giant tent above him.

Lucas smiled. "Yeah, I know. It's pretty impressive, right?"

 _That doesn't even begin to describe it!_ Devon thought as he stared up at the structure in front of him. It appeared to be an entire two-story structure made entirely of felt, with a wooden infrastructure which is given away by the windows of the tent. What's more is that it's been crafted in the same visage as a Wigglytuff, which made it even more impressive.

Lucas chuckled and said, "It actually used to be a bit smaller, but after the events of a few years ago, they actually expanded this place by a large amount. Did you know that underneath this tent there are five floors, each with their own, unique purpose, built right into the side of a cliff?"

Devon gazed up at it in awe, and put a paw forward to take a closer look. Suddenly he heard a meek voice cry out, "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected! Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

Devon stiffened and was about to back off, when Lucas said, "It's okay! It's just the sentry to the guild!"

"Sentry?" he asked, mostly to himself. He glanced down and saw that he had been standing on a wooden grate, which covered a deep, black hole that looked endless in depth.

"Hey, rookie!" A slightly droning voice called out from within the building. "Who is it?"

"Um, the footprint is..." The voice from below seemed unsure of itself. "The footprint is...Charmander?"

"Not even close!" Lucas cried out, sweatdropping.

"Oh! Whoops!" the voice underneath said. "Then...is it...Vullaby?"

"No!" Devon shouted down, sounding annoyed.

"Er...then it's gotta be Hoopa!"

"Seriously?!" The droning voice called out. "Why would a Legendary Pokémon come here?!"

"W-Well, it's happened before..."

The other voice groaned in annoyance. "Just let me look!"

A few minutes passed, and Devon and Lucas stared at each other, confused. Finally, they heard the droning voice call out from below them. "Now look at that footprint, Morelull. The size of the footprint tells you that it belongs to a fairly small Pokémon, most likely a Basic Pokémon. The general shape of it could easily tell you that it's an organic Pokémon, but at the same time, it's more likely feline or canine in nature, rather than reptilian or avian. But, notice that there are no claws? That means that it's certainly feline, as canine feet always have the claws out. Now for the tricky bit, determining exactly which feline Pokémon. Since that paw is more rounded, that means it isn't from a Pokémon that can stand on their hind legs, like a Meowth or a Purrloin. It's not as big as a Litleo's paw, but it's not as small as a Glameow or Litten's paw, either. And it's certainly not the stubby feet of a Skitty. Therefore, the only thing you can say is...

"The Pokémon is Shinx! The Pokémon is Shinx!" he finished, announcing loudly through the hole.

"Yeah, that's right!" Devon called down.

"Wow, that's incredible, Master Dugtrio!" the smaller voice said.

"Think nothing of it. Now, I know you have a friend up there. Please tell him to stand on the grate to be examined."

Devon moved off and let Lucas stand on it. The droning voice cried, "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected! Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

After a minute of silence, the droning voice said, "Well?"

"Oh! M-Me? Okay." The other voice stayed silent for a minute, before saying, "Well, the footprint is small like before, so it's likely a Basic Pokémon, right?"

"Yes. Go on."

"A-And the general shape is like before as well, and organic Pokémon that is more likely canine or feline then anything else."

"Excellent. Now, what else can you tell me about that footprint?"

A short period of silence was broken when the meek voice exclaimed, "Oh, oh, oh! I know! There are claws, which means it's gotta be a canine!"

"Well, not necessarily, but you're on the right track. What else?"

"Um, well, I suppose it's not as rounded, so it might not be a four-legged Pokémon. But, um, what canine Pokémon walks on two feet?"

"Well, there are only three of them, and two of them belong in the same family. And only one of them fits all of the criteria you explained."

"Um...so, does that mean the Pokémon is...Riolu? The Pokémon is Riolu?"

"Yep! It sure is!" Lucas cried down the hole, and the two aboveground Pokémon heard a screech of delight. "Yay! I did it! I did it!"

"You sure did. Now, how about I go back up and let our guests in. I'm sure this has been a huge inconvenience for them."

"No, not at all!" Lucas called down. "It's been nice helping you teach your friend!"

"Thank you so much!" the voice cried. "You've been so nice to me! I really appreciate it!"

Suddenly, the doors began to grind open, rising up and out of the way as the two Pokémon made their way inside. In front of them, they saw a ladder heading down, which seemed to have been fitted with grooves so even quadrupedal Pokémon could hold onto it. With not much alternative for them, the two of them climbed down the ladder, not sure what awaited them below.

* * *

Meanwhile, just outside of the Guildmaster's door, an avian Pokémon was staring the opposing threat in front of him, turning his head this way and that to get a better look. Finally, it spotted its prey, and it swooped down to claim its prize.

"Ow!" The bird Pokémon cried out as it pulled feather straight from its head. It stared at the feather clenched within its talons, twirling it around to let the light catch on all of it.

Then, the Chatot sighed and let the feather fall to the ground. "It's turning grey. I knew it! I'm getting old." He held his wing over his eyes and dramatically mourned. "Oh, it's all going by so fast! Once, I was a young, spry hatchling! I was fast! I was strong! And now look at me! I've got grey feathers! Oh, what a cruel and unfair world!"

"Um...hello?"

The voice caught Chatot by surprise, and he turned suddenly and found a pair of Pokémon he had never seen before staring at him. Check that, he realized that he recognized the Riolu from amongst some of the many story tellings he's done for the town's youth. But the Shinx was entirely new to him. Although, there was something about his expression that seemed awfully familiar...

"Can he actually hear us?" the Shinx whispered to his friend.

A scowl formed on Chatot's face. "Of course I can hear you. Don't call me old!"

"Um, neither of us said 'old,' Mr. Chatot," the Riolu explained.

Chatot glared at the two of them, rather flustered at this point. "That's _Mr._ Chatot, to you two!"

"Um, that's what he said, Mr. Chatot," the Shinx explained.

Caught with his foot in his mouth, Chatot murmured, "Oh, right. Um..." He cleared his throat and began to speak in his official voice. "Right then, who might you two be, and what is your business here? Though, I'm afraid we don't take kindly to freeloaders or door-to-door salesmen, so if that's so, then you'll have to-"

"No, that's not it!" Lucas exclaimed. Putting a paw over his chest, he said, "My name is Lucas, and this is Devon. And we actually want to join the guild!"

"What?! Join the guild?" He turned around and began speaking quietly to himself. "But these two are rather young. In fact, they might be even younger than Team Impossible when they first joined the guild. How come so many children want to become members so badly? Our standards haven't lowered since even before Kyle and Treecky. Perhaps the children nowadays are made of tougher stuff..."

"Um, is there a problem?" Lucas asked.

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he quickly turned around and, flapping his wings madly, sputtered, "No, no! No problem at all! None at all!" Wagging his tail in an unheard rhythm, he said in a sing-song voice, "Luckily for you, we have plenty of room for you two, what with the recent departure of son of the more elder members of the guild. I'm sure you two will fit right in here! Though, I will have to get the okay from the Guildmaster."

The children cheered. "Yeah! Alright! We're gonna be an exploration team!"

Chatot smiled. "Yes, quite. Now, if you will follow me!" He turned to the door and said, "Guildmaster, we're coming in!"

"Why? I'm right here." The three Pokémon turned to see the large, smiling, pink Pokémon standing behind them.

Chatot cried out. "G-Guildmaster Wigglytuff! What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I was enjoying my Perfect Apple in the office," he said in a sing-songy voice, "when suddenly it bounced off of my head and rolled out the door. I looked everywhere for it. I looked in the dorms, behind the mission boards, in the kitchen. But, I wasn't able to find it anywhere."

 _If you were in the kitchen, why didn't you just grab another one?_ Chatot asked in his head.

"But, happily," Wigglytuff continued, "I finally found it hiding in a corner by where Croagunk's Swap Cauldron used to be. So, happy happy endings!"

Chatot chuckled lightly. "Er, of course, Guildmaster. Anyway, about these two..."

"Yep, I heard all of it! I was standing right here!" Wigglytuff slapped the floor with his foot, emphasizing his point. "So, you two want to be an exploration team? I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that! Friends, friends!

"Okay, just tell me your team name, and we'll begin the registration!" Wigglytuff said with a smile.

Devon and Lucas smiled at each other. They had already talked about a team name long and hard the previous night, and they had already figured out what they wanted to be called.

"We want to be Team Pursuit!" The two children said excitedly at the same time.

"'Pursuit?' That's a rather odd name, isn't it?" Chatot asked unsurely.

"Well, we both think that we have some kind of big destiny ahead of us," Devon began.

"And I think that together, we'll be able to accomplish our goals and pursue our fate!" Lucas finished. "That's why we wanna be known as Team Pursuit."

"Ooo, that's wonderful!" Wigglytuff shouted happily. "A very wonderful name, and a very wonderful goal! Okay, come into my office, and we'll get you all set up!"

Wigglytuff moved past them, smiling a giant smile, and Devon and Lucas followed close behind. Wagging his note-shaped tail, Chatot began to follow them inside, when Dugtrio popped up next him, and said, "Sir, Team Impossible is here to see the Guildmaster. They say it's urgent."

Chatot took on a more serious disposition, and said, "The Guilmaster is occupied with other matters at this point. However, I will go see them personally."

He leaned in and announced to the three Pokémon inside Wigglytuff's office that something came up, and he hurried up the ladder to find a Totodile and a Treecko standing in front of the Wanted Pokémon board.

"No, he was bigger than Persian, definitely." The Totodile said to his partner.

"Well, what about him?" The Treecko pointed at an Alakazam with a hefty bounty on his head.

Kevin considered him for a moment, but then he shook his head. "No, he was floating the whole time. I think an Alakazam would need to at least walk for some of the time."

"Well, what about that one?" Treecky said, pointing at another one.

Kevin glared at his Treecko friend. "Why would it be a Florges? I said it was for certain a male!"

"Ahem!" Chatot cleared his throat loudly, causing the two Pokémon to look at him. "Hello, Team Impossible! The Guildmaster is occupied registering a new team into the guild. What is it that's so important?"

Keven then began to relay what he remembered from his dream. With every passing second of listening to the story, Chatot's eyes appeared to grow and grow, until finally when Kevin finished, they appeared as large as a pair Spoink pearls.

"Exploud?! You're saying that one of the best Pokémon explorers around, who, by the way, was one of our strongest members when he was under our employ as a Loudred, might actually have been kidnapped by a mysterious assailant?"

Kevin sighed. "Yeah, that's about it."

Chatot scratched his head with his wing, trying to figure out what he needed to do. "This isn't good. Not only has a pair of young Pokémon come to join the guild out of nowhere, but an embassy from the Temple of Xerneas was supposed to visit today, and they're late. Now we have this on our hands! Oh, what do I do?!"

Kevin and Treecky looked at each other, and nodded. "Chatot," Kevin said, "You should probably take care of the new team and the embassy first. When that's all done, we can talk to Wigglytuff privately about this situation and figure out what to do then."

Chatot nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, I suppose that is the best we can do. Tonight..." Chatot walked away, spouting off random orders to the Pokémon around to tidy up a bit more for their important guests, a wide variety of thoughts racing around his mind like a Seviper and a Zangoose chasing after each other, trying to figure out what should be done about their old friend Exploit, and how they're even going to find him now.

* * *

And after about four months, I've finally finished this! And to be honest, the biggest reason for the long wait was because of this story in particular. I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to end this chapter, and I think I came up with one that, to me, is fairly good. I particularly liked writing Chatot in this one, as he's always been a fun character in my mind, even when I was playing Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky. Plus, the part where he freaked out about himself growing old was absolutely hilarious! And don't forget the whole incident with the sentry! That was awesome, too!

Now, I wanted to explain the biggest struggle about this story in particular, as Escape from Fate has always seemed to come easier to me than Pursuit. You see, like I said at the very start of this story, I meant for it to be more like the traditional PMD story. A human gets sent to this world in the form of a Pokémon, he meets another Pokémon who immediately accepts him for who he is, and they joined the guild and worked there while the bigger plot unfolded around them.

Now, yes, we've all heard this story before, but the reason I wanted to do a story this way was mainly because I wanted to take the same formula, and slowly twist it on its head. Which means that I'm constantly attempting to straddle the line between familiarity and spontaneity, giving you guys something old, but cooked in a brand new shell.

Another thing I'm trying to do new is have it take place from the vantage point of two different groups of Pokémon. Team Pursuit, Devon and Lucas, and Team Impossible, Kevin and Treecky. (Fun fact, the Shinx and Riolu team is based off of my own Explorers of Sky game, while the Totodile and Treecko team is based off of my brother's Explorers of Darkness game. The name 'Treecky' is even what my brother called his Treecko character, and I named him that out of respect for him.) With two POVs, I figured that I could create something pretty new, as the world around them changed and we could see the effects on it from, essentially, a couple of veterans and a couple of rookies.

Now, of course, that isn't the only reason this story took so long, and Escape didn't help either. But, I'll explain why these stories didn't come out for so long in a more general sense in my other story. But, let me just explain it simply in the way many fanfiction authors will agree with me on: _life happened._ That's it.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thanks to everyone for keeping up with my story so far, and hopefully, I will see about trying to keep this story alive. Oh, and please do me a favor and vote in my brand new poll! See, I wanna know which of my stories is the most popular, and hence, should be updated more. I've already had several votes in it, and they're kind of pointing to the two stories I've already pointed out, with this one on the side. So, please vote and let your voice be heard! (By me. ;-P )

So, until next time, stay tuned to find out what happens next!


	5. A Time For Action

"And finally," Chatot said to the brand new exploration team following right behind him as he walked through the door at the end of the hall they were in, "this will be your room!"

Devon and Lucas ran inside the room, their eyes practically bursting with wonder and excitement, and drank in the place which they would be calling their home. It was a pretty ordinary room, with a chest at the back of the room and two beds made of straw sitting on either side of it. There was also a candle burning on the wall to the left of the door, and a poster on the right which states the ten rules of the guild.

But, what this room lacked in upholstery, it clearly made up for it in the pure possibilities of what this means for them. Smiling at each other, they turned back to Chatot and bowed their heads in respect. "Thank you for the tour, Mr. Chatot."

Chatot, once more today, was surprised at their politeness and respect for his authority. "Well, of course!" he stated, blushing under his feathers. "I-It's the responsibility of the Guildmaster's assistant to make sure that you settle in the guild well. However, in return, I expect you to perform your absolute best tomorrow. Understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Chatot," the twosome said simultaneously once more.

Chatot nodded. "Very well. I'll leave you two to your business, then. Try to get to sleep early, as you'll have a busy day tomorrow! And you know what they say, 'the early Pidgey catches the Wurmple!'"

"Okay, good night!"

Chatot turned in the doorway. "Pleasant dreams!" He then blew out the candle at the doorway before walking away from the room, thinking to himself, _Well, those two are rather pleasant! Though, I wonder why they would want to work at the guild._ Chatot decided to turn his thoughts away from this, and moved on to finishing his assigned work as the Guildmaster's assistant.

Devon and Lucas, meanwhile, were beginning to make themselves comfortable in their beds. "Ugh, I really don't like this straw!" Devon complained. "It keeps sticking into me everywhere, and it's not that comfortable."

Lucas rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Well, it isn't an Altaria-down mattress, but it's better than the floor." Lucas shifted around in the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. "Besides, you really shouldn't look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, right?"

Devon sighed, as he managed to find a decently comfortable position on his side. "I suppose so." They laid in silence for a bit as Lucas found a position lying on his back and getting comfortable. Finally, Devon piped up again, "Hey, Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you make me the leader of Team Pursuit?"

"What?" Lucas turned his head towards Devon, confused at his question. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, it's just," Devon sighed, and rolled over onto his other side so he could face Lucas, "don't you think I'm a bit inexperienced to be the leader? I mean, I only woke up in your house just a few days ago, I know literally nothing about this world of Pokémon, or even _being_ a Pokémon. Heck, I haven't even figured out how to use any moves yet, much less battle. So, why elect me to be the leader of the team?"

Even though sleep was just starting to overtake him, Lucas couldn't help but smile. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?" Devon asked, confused.

Lucas chuckled to himself lightly. "It's because everything is so new to you is why I wanted you to be the leader."

"Um...I'm not following."

Lucas rolled his eyes in amusement. "Remember Kevin the Totodile of Team Impossible, and how he was a human too?"

"Yeah? What, did you make me the leader because I used to be a human like he was?"

"Well, sort of," Lucas dragged his gaze from Devon to the ceiling above him. "You see, when you point out things like the Wigglytuff Guild or the Spinda's Plaza to most Pokémon, they tend to be simply impressed with it, but that's about it. But, when I showed those things to you earlier today, I could tell you were way more than impressed. You were awestruck, completely amazed. And that excitement you had? It made me super pumped as well. Even though I had seen all of this stuff millions of times by now, with you around, I got to be excited about it like I never had before! All in all, it was kind of weird.

"But still, if it wasn't for you agreeing to become my partner, I'm not sure if I could ever have struck up the nerve to join the guild. That's why I thought- No, I absolutely believe that you will be a much better leader than I could ever be."

Devon smiled. "Well, that was pretty sappy, Lucas."

Lucas chuckled. "Shut up. You know I meant it. Geez." Lucas, still smiling, closed his eyes and yawned. "Anyways, see you in the morning, Devon."

Devon nodded, even though he knew he couldn't see him. "Okay, good night." Devon closed his eyes, and the two Pokémon finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming nice dreams of the exciting things that would come the following day.

* * *

Chatot quietly slipped in the door to the Guildmaster's office, before closing it silently behind him. He turned to the room inside. It was a Grumpig-sty like normal, since for some reason, Guildmaster Wigglytuff couldn't be bothered to pick up after himself, and Chatot usually has to tidy up. Strangely, he knew that he had cleaned up before the embassy from the Temple of Xerneas came and went, so what happened in this room between those couple of hours was a mystery to the Flying type.

However, the cleaning would have to come later, as there were more important matters to attend to. Sitting on two stools that was pulled out for them was Kevin the Totodile and Treecky the Treecko, Team Impossible, and the Guildmaster himself was there sitting behind his desk. As he was looking that way already, Wigglytuff was the first to notice Chatot. And with a big smile, he shouted, "Hi, Chatot!"

Chatot flinched, covering his ears with his wings. "Guildmaster, please! Not so loud! This is supposed to be a secret meeting!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot!" Wigglytuff said in a hushed voice, scanning the walls as if he was searching for hidden spies. Chatot could only sigh at his guildmaster's actions as he made his way over to Wigglytuff's side.

"Anyway," Chatot said, trying to move the subject along, "what has been discussed while I was gone, Team Impossible?"

Treecky shrugged. "Basically everything we told you earlier about Kevin's dream."

Wigglytuff appeared concerned. "Yes. It's sad what happened to Exploud. I hope he will be alright."

Kevin crossed his arms. "We still don't know if he's actually been kidnapped yet, if at all. Remember, my Dimensional Screams can see into both the past and the future. And I've never had my visions come through in my dreams before. For all we know, I could've just had a bad dream about him, and he's perfectly fine."

Chatot nodded. "True, but we can't take that chance. Your visions have proven to be extremely accurate over the years, and we simply can't just discount this as a bad dream. Plus..." Chatot voice faded suddenly, as he looked down at his feet, not willing to meet the two in their eyes.

"Chatot found something unusual while looking through the mission records." Wigglytuff finished for Chatot. "It seems that the Pokémon that requested the mission that Exploud took...doesn't even exist!"

"What?!" Team Impossible exclaimed simultaneously.

"Seriously?" Treecky asked. "But, that's crazy! How can a Pokémon simply just disappear?"

Chatot held his wing to his face in a very thoughtful manner. "Whoever sent this mission request was unusually secretive about his request, and definitely did not want to be found. He kept himself anonymous, and printed his message out in a way that could've been written by any Pokémon, and he had it delivered via Pelipper. When we asked Pelipper about the mission, he said that it was hand delivered by a Pokémon who kept himself hidden under some kind of cloak. So, that leaves us no real clue about who could've sent that request."

"That's really weird," Treecky said thoughtfully. "Don't Pokémon typically want to be found in order to know if their request was fulfilled?"

"Yes. That's what makes this whole thing even more eerie," Chatot answered.

"What was the mission requesting anyway?" Kevin asked.

"It was an item retrieval mission," Chatot explained, "They wanted a Silencer Orb that was lost on the lowest floor of a newly discovered dungeon called Traveller's Pass, with an unknown reward. By the way, that new dungeon has eight floors and the Pokémon there range around level 15-20 and are a variety of Normal and Bug types."

Kevin sighed. "Well, that sounds like a pretty standard mission. Though, an unknown reward for such a low-level dungeon is fairly uncommon, as those could range from 1000 Poké to an Egg."

"But not unheard of, obviously." Chatot continued. "So, we can't use that as a lead either." Chatot sighed wearily. "I suppose that unless we hear word from either Exploud or this alleged kidnapper, I'm afraid we're stuck."

"Chatot, how could you?!" Wigglytuff yelled loudly, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

"Guildmaster, not so loud!" Chatot said quietly.

"We can't just give up!" Wigglytuff said at the same volume, apparently ignoring Chatot's request. "Exploud is part of our family, whether he's a member of this guild or not! And we have to stick by our family and help each other out! We can't abandon him! We have to save him!"

"I never said we were giving up!" Chatot snapped back, offended. "But, without any clue as to who we're dealing with, we can't proceed any further without more information!"

"Well, we might have a theory as to who it is," Kevin said, catching the attention of Chatot and Wigglytuff.

"There's no real evidence saying that who we're thinking of is really the culprit, but a lot of the stuff that's happened seems to connect pretty well," Treecky continued, finishing Kevin's statement.

"Well then," Chatot said impatiently, "who is it?"

"Like Treecky said, we have no real evidence this is right, but we think that it might just be..." Kevin paused for a minute, almost unwilling to say the name. "...Dusknoir."

Chatot gasped in surprise, while Wigglytuff gained a neutral disposition. "Dusknoir?! You mean _that_ Dusknoir?"

"What other Dusknoir could we be talking about?" Treecky exclaimed, irritated, "The same one that posed as an explorer just to get his hands on Grovyle and Kevin. The one that dragged us into that horrible future world, were we barely escaped with our lives. Yes, that Dusknoir!"

Silence fell over the foursome, before a chuckle suddenly burst from Chatot's direction, before he suddenly started laughing extremely mirthfully. "Oh, ho! A very great jest, Kevin and Treecky! You actually almost had me believing that Dusknoir had actually returned! Very good, very good! You should sign up with Mime Jr's stand-up comedy routine! Well done!"

Team Impossible both sighed at the same time. There goes Chatot, actively attempting to not believe what they're saying. That brings back some rather bad memories. "Chatot, we're being serious!" Treecky said.

"Of course you can't!" Chatot snapped, switching back to a serious mood in an instant. "We all know that he couldn't possibly be around anymore! He's gone, disappeared with Grovyle and the rest of the future where the world had been paralyzed. You said so yourself that this was what happened, Treecky!"

"Yeah, but I also said that Kevin disappeared as well because the future had changed, and yet he's standing right here next to me! And if Kevin survived, then Dusknoir could've as well!"

Chatot growled, unable to find any fault in that logic. "Well, even so, humoring your idea that this may even be possible, how could he possibly have gotten here from the future, then?"

"He managed it before," Kevin explained calmly. "He could've used the Passage of Time, or if Primal Dialga is still around in the future, then he could've sent him here. Either way, it's a real possibility."

"And he knows how the mission system works," Treecky added. "So he could've sent a fake mission request and set a trap for Exploud."

Wigglytuff nodded. "And Dusknoir has access to Confuse Ray, which could be how he managed to knock out Exploud so easily in Kevin's dream."

Chatot gaped at Wigglytuff. "Guildmaster, you aren't seriously suggesting that you believe this cockamamie idea, are you?"

Wigglytuff crossed his stubby arms. "It's a pretty farfetched idea, it's true. But, there's nothing saying it's not at all a possibility. The chances of this being true is slim, but it's still there. And everything Team Impossible said would make sense."

"But," Chatot said, sweating, "how did he know that Exploud would answer? And why would he do it in the first place?"

"Well, those are the questions we still need to find the answers to." Kevin said. "But, considering what he's done in the past, we can almost bet that he's up to no good."

Wigglytuff nodded. "Yes, but only if he's actually here. Remember, we don't really know if this is actually Dusknoir, or a different Pokémon altogether. But, the fact remains that Exploud has still not turned back up yet, so we must assume the worst."

With a determined look on his face, Wigglytuff suddenly stood up, startling the others slightly. "Alright! Now is the time for action! And I know just what needs to be done! Now, since we don't know if Exploud is actually missing or not, this mmeeting will be strictly between us. However, we must begin a covert search to discover just where he might be!"

Wigglytuff pointed at Chatot. "Chatot, you must go through the mission archives and find out if there are any more mysterious missions like this one, and whether or not these missions have any relation to any disappearances at the same time. Is that understood?"

Chatot, slightly surprised at Wigglytuff's sudden shift in tone, hesitantly nodded. "Y-Yes, sir."

Wigglytuff then pointed at Team Impossible. "Kevin, Treecky, I need you to go to Exploud's last known destination and look for any clues that he may be there. I know he went into a mystery dungeon, and since they change every time someone goes in, it may be rather difficult for you to find anything. But, with any luck, we may find some trace of Exploud within that dungeon."

"Yes, Guildmaster!" Team Impossible shouted in unison.

Wigglytuff then place his paw onto his chest. "As for me, I will contact Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie, as well as organize a few exploration teams in order to check on the Time Gears. If this is truly Dusknoir that we are dealing with, then the Time Gears may be in danger. We cannot take the chance of letting the events of one year ago happen once again."

Wigglytuff looked around the room. "So, if there's no more questions about how to proceed, then I suggest you all get some rest, because tomorrow, we're launching Operation: Save Our Friend Exploud From A Terrible Fate That May Or May Not Involve Dusknoir In Some Way!"

The other three Pokémon in the room looked around at each other, a little overwhelmed by the fact that Wigglytuff gave such a super long name for their operation, but mostly determined to help their friends.

After saying their goodbye's for now, Team Impossible departed the Guildmaster's quarters for the night, and shortly after that, Chatot left to go to sleep as well, leaving Wigglytuff all alone in the room. Wigglytuff stood up from his seat and walked over to the window at the far end of the room, staring up at the waning crescent moon up above.

"What's happening? Why is this happening now?" he pondered to himself.

"Hm, perhaps, it's time we had another talk, my friend..."

* * *

And there you guys have it, after almost a year's worth of waiting, I finally got this chapter done. And boy, was that a lot of paddi- I mean, plot structuring. While it may be kind of lacking in any kind of action, I think this was a pretty good way to get all of the characters settled, and I think I may actually have nailed Guildmaster Wigglytuff's personality! But, still, let me know in the comments whether I actually did or not because hopefully I can keep it up!

And I now have exciting news coming from Escape From Fate! For the first time in this story, I finally got one of your OCs into the latest chapter of that! If you want to see who actually managed to make their way into it, as well as the lucky person who submitted this character, than head on over to that story! But, for people who are invested in this story, let me assure you that there will be OCs coming to this one as well. In fact, one of your characters may make an appearance in the very next chapter of Pursuit Of Fate, so keep an eye out for that one as well!

Now, I know that I've been taking a long time on these stories, and I apologize for it. But life has kept catching up to me in the worst of ways, and frankly because I've been doing nothing but write long chapters for both Five Nights of Truth or Dare at Freddy's and A Wild Kecleon Reviews, so I ended up getting burned out from the whole writing scene for a while. But let me assure you guys that I am not only still willing to write, but I am currently working on several chapters for other stories that I have as well as this one. So keep an eye out for those, and hopefully I won't take another year to write a single chapter again. (Technically two, but...)

So, for now, take care everyone, and please leave a review to my story, as it only helps me in the long run! And since I now have proof that I was serious about the whole SYOC thing, go and check out the character submission form on my profile so you can attempt to get your character in too! So, until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter. Seriously though, fingers crossed that I don't take forever next time.


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